Before The Match
by Nolaquen265
Summary: Oneshot. A very unique trainer is about to battle the Champion. These are the last few moments before the match, from his point of view. No flames, please.


Well, here is my first fan fiction. Don't be too harsh, I'm still new to the writing business. Any input is welcomed.

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I stood on the platform, overlooking the battle field. The crowd in the stands was cheering mindlessly, waiting for the match between myself and the Champion to begin. Blaziken stood beside me, discreetly using Bulk Up in preparation of the coming battle. He'd been doing that all week, before our battles with the Elite Four. They had been easy to defeat; I had had more trouble with my first gym, when Blaziken had been a small, albeit larger-than-normal, Torchic. The Champion would be different. 

Blaze was radiating so much heat I could see the people in the closest stands, almost twenty feet away, sweating heavily and fanning themselves vigorously. He felt like a bonfire, and I was right next to him. It didn't bother me, though. It had been a part of our intense training from the beginning. The single bead of sweat on my forehead was due more to pressure than the heat.

On my other side, Gardevoir stared intensely into what appeared to be empty space. Like Blaze, she had been using Calm Mind constantly, always upping her strength for this battle. I, with my limited abilities, could sense the psychic energy rolling off her like a thunderstorm. If Gardevoir had the opportunity, she would take the coming battle to a higher level; that I knew. I looked over my shoulder; Sceptile, Swampert, Salamence, and Tyranitar were standing still behind me, waiting as I was.

Soon. Soon the Champion would walk out of the gate on the far side of the arena, take his place on the other platform, and send out his first Pokémon. I looked over to the stands; my closest friends were there, including my rival. He grinned as he saw me look towards them, and waved encouragingly. He'd always been upbeat, even after I had defeated him in the final match of the Pokémon League.

The cameras were flashing nonstop. They couldn't even wait for the match to begin. Well, they were only a minor annoyance; easily ignored. As long as they didn't distract my Pokémon during the battle, they could take all the pictures they wanted.

There. The Champion has entered the stadium. The crowd is on its feet, cheering and screaming madly. I and my team are silent, as are my friends on the benches. The man with the title of the greatest Pokémon Master in the land waves, and proceeds to the platform. I watch him expressionlessly. Over a year of intense training has brought me this far. This man will not stand in my way. I will not lose. I _cannot_ lose. It is no longer possible.

I look at my team again. Secret, long-forgotten training methods have made them strong, stronger than any Pokémon we have met. They are unstoppable; even Legendaries would be hard put to beat them. I grin slightly. Legendaries _have_ tried to defeat them...us. They lost.

At the thought, I look to the highest seats in the stadium. There, Mew hovers, almost out of sight, watching the action below. It is too dangerous to show him in the championship match. I'm already a target. No need to make things worse.

The Champion raises a hand to quiet the crowd. It takes almost a minute, but finally the stadium is silent as the grave. Even the cameras have stopped. From his dark robes, he pulls an Ultra Ball, and enlarges it with a press of the central button. He pulls back his arm, and throws it into the middle of the arena.

Dragonite emerges in a flash of white light. It stretches its wings and arches its back before letting loose a Twister. The wind howls and tears at my clothes. The cape I wear flies up, held only by the jeweled neck clasp. The crowd is still on its feet, and begins to cheer again. But, to me, they are silent. Their applause is nothing. That man, and that Dragonite, are the only focuses of my attention.

I can see the Dragonite is strong. Very strong. Maybe half a century old, with untold experience in battling, and in life. And the Champion is as confident as I have been. He is standing straight, looking on in pride and power.

The flicker of doubt which has been present in the back of my mind since the beginning of my adventure, since the first vision, begins to burrow through my confidence. The Champion has trained for years. Who am I, anyway? A trainer who has visions, whose life revolves around Legendaries and dreams? I am not even twenty; I don't have the emotional or mental maturity of the man across the arena. My Pokémon, while they are unbelievably strong, are even younger than myself. Mature, perhaps, but still lacking in experience…

My eyes reach out to my friends, again. They stare back, and I can see the fire in their eyes. They believe in me, in us. I can see them mouthing, _"You can do it. Just do it. You know what to do…"_

I stand there as Dragonite pumps up the crowd, showing off its impressive attacks; its Dragonbreath is tinged with blue, and the stands are erupting in applause.

I realize, then, I have come here for a purpose. And I have trained for that purpose even before I officially became a trainer. That purpose has driven me all my life, and it is stronger than any obstacle we have ever faced. The doubt, which I have battled quietly for so long, vanishes as a new-born confidence and power floods my being. I look once more to my friends. They see what is happening inside me, and they are on their feet now, shouting things I cannot hear in excited, passionate voices. But I know what they are saying. And, finally, I agree with my entire heart. We can do this.

For the last time, I turn around. The same fire I feel inside me is blazing in my Pokémon's eyes. They are a part of me, as much as I am of them. And together, we are truly the greatest.

I lift my chin, and say quietly, "Take him, Blaze."

Blaze roars in challenge, and launches himself from the platform and into the arena with his powerful legs. My other Pokémon raise their own cheers, encouraging their comrade.

Blaze lands gracefully, and the flames on his wrist flare up higher and hotter than they ever have. The sleek, crimson feathers that cover his body shine like they are on fire. The stadium is stifling, and I know that someone in the crowd is already fainting from the heat. They'll be alright.

I am the challenger; I have the right to the first move. I have already planned this battle, for the past week. Every possibility has been taken into account. I know my opponent better than he knows himself. And I know more of Pokémon than any trainer in the world. And this new power of confidence, of knowledge, and the fulfillment of a vision, is the final piece of the puzzle that I have put together for so long. This is the final step of my first endeavor, and the first step of my next adventure.

Now, I, the Trainer of Legendaries, am ready to begin. I smile. The Champion never stood a chance.

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I hope everyone enjoyed my first story. Please R and R! No flames, please. 


End file.
